At almost 20 years old, Gocycle is one of the oldest players in the folding electric bike space. Since 2009, with the release of the G1, the brand has reiterated its own distinctive take on what an electric bike can look like. Today, Gocycle announced its G4 line of electric bikes, making some notable improvements to a design that is over ten years old.
These improvements begin with a new “G4drive” electric motor that produces more power and torque. Take a page on bikes like the Cannondale Topstone Lefty, the entire G4 range includes a one-sided carbon fork. According to Gocycle, the design increases vertical compliance, which is a technical way of saying that carbon absorbs bumps in the road better, which leads to a more comfortable ride. On the handlebars, Gocycle has added a USB port that you can use to charge your phone when the G4’s battery is not powering the electric bike.
Karbon Kinetics
Attached to the fork you’ll find a wider tire that features a new tread pattern that Gocycle has reinforced with a silica compound for better grip. The fact that it’s wider, allowing it to hold more air, should once again help create a more comfortable ride. As with the GXi, you can fold the bike in about 10 seconds. A newly added titanium pin keeps the bend joint aligned.
Elsewhere, the company has managed to make the electric bike lighter by modifying components such as disc rotors. The result is that the G4i +, the lightest (and most expensive) of the newer G4 models, weighs just 36 pounds – although it’s still heavier than the 24-pound Hummingbird.
The entire Gocycle G4 lineup is available for pre-order today in the US, Canada, UK and EU, with the G4 costing $ 4,000, while the G4i and G4i + cost $ 5,000 respectively. and $ 6,000. Besides the high-end components of the last two models, the most significant difference between the G4i and the G4i + and the G4 is that they have a battery with a range of 50 miles. The G4 is limited to 40 miles on a single charge. That said, all three versions of the e-bike come with the company’s 4A 36V charger, which can fill the larger capacity battery of the G4i and G4i + in about three and a half hours.
